The recent prisoner swap between Russia and the United States has been touted as a diplomatic triumph, but  Russia got the better end of the deal. 

This exchange of prisoners has raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic as the US appears to have come up short in the agreement. 

Brittney on the left and Viktor on the right

Brittney Griner, a professional basketball star in the United States, was released from a Russian prison after being swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, often known as the "merchant of death," who was facing charges in the US.

Griner was sentenced this past August to 9 years in prison for drug trafficking. She was stopped by police at a nearby Moscow airport carrying cannabis-infused cartridges for personal use.

, the exchange took place in the United Arab Emirates. 

What I find most surprising is that Biden agreed to it despite leaving out Paul Whelan, a security executive for an American company who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on charges of espionage, and who remains imprisoned in Russia. 

For the "merchant if death", we should have gotten both Americans out of Russia.

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Griner's detention was made public and took on political overtones as a result of the sanctions applied by the West. It evolved into a powerful leverage for Vladimir Putin's government.

Since the end of the Cold War, Washington and Moscow frequently engage in the exchange of prisoners.

This practice is sanctioned by the harsh sentences Russian courts impose on foreigners. The 

 exchange before the one announced this evening occurred in April, when American Trevor Reed, a former marine sentenced to eight years for assaulting a police officer, was exchanged for a Russian pilot who had served his sentence in the United States.

Viktor Bout is a notorious Russian arms dealer who has been linked to some of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. 

 to have sold weapons to militant groups in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other war-torn countries, as well as to rebel forces in Africa and South America. He is also suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan. 

He is also believed to have an extensive network of contacts in the arms trafficking industry, and he is known to be a ruthless businessman. He has been accused of using bribery and other means to secure deals, and his network of contacts is believed to have enabled him to acquire weapons illegally.

The recent prisoner swap between Russia and the United States has demonstrated the dangers of media and public attention when it comes to prisoner swaps. 

The very public nature of the exchange has resulted in an intense focus on the details of the deal, and probably made the end result a lot worse. 

When dealing with sensitive matters like prisoner swaps, media and public attention can quickly turn a potential success into a disaster.

This recent prisoner swap between Russia and the United States has shown that the Kremlin is still capable of manipulating the diplomatic process to its own advantage. 

Well, they can influence public opinion and add pressure to the sense that Griner had to come home as soon as possible under any circumstance. And because of that, the "merchant of death" is now walking the streets. 

The exchange has been seen as a victory for the Kremlin and a sign that the US was outmaneuvered in the process. 

While the deal may have been a diplomatic triumph for Russia, it is a stark reminder of the US’s continued vulnerability to the Kremlin’s more aggressive tactics. 

US policymakers should take this exchange as a lesson in the importance of standing firm against the Kremlin’s tactics and ensuring that any future deals are negotiated from a position of strength.

Brittney Griner exchanged for Viktor Bout: Worst trade deal ever?

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